Robert Hawkins

Thank you. I support the delay only to find a way to derail this. I do not support the delay as a way to further implement this plan. What we need is clear, concise, honest and open consultation, as has been said by many of the Members today.

If this government finds ways to make the cost of living here worse, who is going to want to stay? It’s hard enough attracting people to the North who are new, if we can’t keep the people we have dedicated here.

In closing, I think this is the wrong path. The people have spoken. I don’t know how many more names on a petition or any piece of documentation...

I’m glad the Minister agrees and officially put it on record that she will now take off the time deadline on consultation and implementation.

I’m glad the Minister agrees and officially put it on record that she will now take off the time deadline on consultation and implementation.

Mr. Speaker, I’m sort of reminded of a famous individual known as Tommy Douglas. He fought tooth and nail for health care and I could imagine his position now; he’d be rolling in his grave to find out that means testing or income testing our health care system is the way to go. I think he’d call this a user-pay system and this is sort of a door being cracked open to that demonstration.

If I could loosely quote the Minister, a minute ago she said I don’t understand what the big deal is about the implementation date. Mr. Speaker, that’s the whole problem. It’s the implementation date without...

Mr. Speaker, I’m sort of reminded of a famous individual known as Tommy Douglas. He fought tooth and nail for health care and I could imagine his position now; he’d be rolling in his grave to find out that means testing or income testing our health care system is the way to go. I think he’d call this a user-pay system and this is sort of a door being cracked open to that demonstration.

If I could loosely quote the Minister, a minute ago she said I don’t understand what the big deal is about the implementation date. Mr. Speaker, that’s the whole problem. It’s the implementation date without...

I rise today to give my voice to the clear opposition to any changes to the Supplementary Health Benefits Program. Mr. Speaker, taking away from seniors, taking away from families, taking away from everyday people is wrong and this needs to stop. At present, we’re all well aware that there’s a deferral of this policy on the table, but we’re not fooled over here. We know deferral just means delayed implementation, so please don’t fool us with this.

Mr. Speaker, I stand with the seniors, I stand with the everyday people on this problem. I’ll stand with them until the end because they are just...

I rise today to give my voice to the clear opposition to any changes to the Supplementary Health Benefits Program. Mr. Speaker, taking away from seniors, taking away from families, taking away from everyday people is wrong and this needs to stop. At present, we’re all well aware that there’s a deferral of this policy on the table, but we’re not fooled over here. We know deferral just means delayed implementation, so please don’t fool us with this.

Mr. Speaker, I stand with the seniors, I stand with the everyday people on this problem. I’ll stand with them until the end because they are just...

Some of the problems I have heard is potential cash flow to make sure they can keep their business afloat during these rocky times. Does the department consider any type of option like this?

Mr. Speaker, three well established tourism businesses in the Yellowknife region are closing the doors, if they have not closed them yet. I don’t feel comfortable mentioning their names, because I know only one, as of yesterday, gave notice to employees, and I can’t speak to the other two specifically.

Their issue for closing their doors, they told me, is the economic climate, the slowdown in tourism, and there is concern that the support levels might not be there from the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment. Setting that sort of framework up, my questions are directed, of course, to...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m not trying in any way to catch the Minister off guard, but is he is aware of any type of financial dollars that will be lost if some of these loans in respect to the BDIC.... He knows the companies I’m referring to. Does he have any idea or is his department doing any reconciliation about the type of loan dollars that would be lost when these companies go out of business officially?